There has been a recent surge in “virtual world” technologies that allow users to assume virtual identities (e.g. avatars) and to interact with other users online, such as Second Life, Habbo, Zwinky, Gaia, Club Penguin, Webkinz. These are typically accessed via dedicated websites and subscriptions, and are typically closed systems (i.e. a user in one virtual community cannot directly interact with users in other virtual communities). These online communities sometimes further offer virtual items that can be bought and sold within their virtual worlds, such as virtual furniture, virtual clothing, virtual real estate, etc.
One problem with existing “virtual world” products is that they typically require users to go to specific online destinations to acquire and use these virtual items rather than allowing users to pick up and use virtual items while browsing any web site on the Internet. Accordingly, it would be desirable if a system was provided in which users could obtain and use virtual objects and virtual goods while they surf anywhere on the worldwide web.
Some other existing products and services attempt to reward users for surfing the Internet with real-world discounts, frequent flier miles, cash, or others. These products typically operate on an accumulated point system. One example of this type of prior art reward program is U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,511, which discloses a website promotional process. It requires a user to visit a host site and then browse through a plurality of advertiser or affiliate sites whose hyperlinks are provided at that host site to find and match a number of embedded indicia. It further requires the indicia to be embedded within the advertiser or affiliate sites that are promoted by the host site. A prize is rewarded if the participant finds a sufficient number of matching indicia within a designated time period.
One major disadvantage of these “reward” products is that they lack entertainment value and thus fail to retain user interest, even though sometimes they are described as “games.” These “rewards” such as points or currency typically have no entertaining features themselves such as visual art, animation or sounds. Furthermore, they do not provide the users with any special abilities or powers that could be used in an online game, and they provide no other decorative or personalizable value for the user. Moreover, similar to the products and services described above, they do not allow the users to casually surf the web at their own leisure and be entertained at the same time. So, for most users, earning such “rewards” points or currency can be a monotonous chore rather than an entertaining experience in itself. Accordingly, it would be desirable if a system was provided in which finding Virtual Collectibles while browsing the web is an entertaining experience, and where such Virtual Collectibles themselves provided entertainment such as graphics, animation and special functionality, thereby adding entertainment to web browsing activity.
Another major disadvantage with these point-based products is that the points lack the ability to be associated with brands or advertisers' products. The generic reward units, such as points or miles that a user collects from different websites, cannot be made different from one another. Ten points earned from visiting website A is no different than ten points earned elsewhere. It would be desirable if different rewards could be configured to possess unique properties associated with a certain name or brand or product. An advertiser or affiliate could then give to users who visit their websites Virtual Collectibles that possess special properties that promote their brands, services or goods.
A further disadvantage, exemplified by the above-identified patent among others, is that reward program advertisers or affiliates must, in addition to paying a fee to the host site, provide support within their websites of content needed to support the accumulation of points and rewards (i.e. indicia such as a JPEG file with a predetermined filename and located at a URL associated with a sponsor). This is intrusive and burdensome on such organizations. Moreover, participants must allow cookies to be stored on their computers, which not all participants are willing to do and/or which can be easily disabled or defeated.
Another problem with existing virtual world products and technologies is that the virtual objects are often not unique in their appearances or properties. Uniqueness is a major component of virtual objects' appeal, especially important if the virtual objects or virtual goods are collectible objects (i.e. Virtual Collectibles). Because of their virtual nature, these virtual objects can easily lose user interest if the users feel that these objects are being mass-generated and easily obtainable. Hence, it would be desirable for Virtual Collectibles to have unique properties because users derive pleasure and satisfaction knowing that, for example, a virtual object they own is one-of-a-kind, or one of only a limited number available, or has a magical power that enhances overall value of everything else the user owns. In addition, it would be desirable if such different properties could provide different effects, such as giving users special powers, or bestowing extra real-world redeeming values upon the Virtual Collectibles.
Accordingly, a need remains in the art for a system and method of distributing Virtual Collectibles that overcomes the above and other disadvantages.